ESPN Network: ESPN.com | NBA.com | ABCSports | EXPN | FANTASY




Sports Guy vs. Sports Dog
By Bill Simmons and Bailey
Page 2 staff



ESPN TOOLS
 
Email story
 
Most sent
 
Print story
 

We're unleashing a new edition of the "Sports Guy's Power Poll" every week if I keep going 3-1 ...

Bill vs. Bailey
Seems like everybody thinks they can handicap NFL games, so Page 2 has decided to turn to its two experts in the field of prognostication. Predicting games isn't an exact science, so each week we'll have Page 2 columnist Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy, go head-to-head with Bailey the Sports Dog.

Simmons' credentials you probably know: He's a die-hard Boston sports nut who represents the common fan.

Bailey is a Samoyed husky-black Labrador cross with a nose for pigskin. He's lived in Colorado, Chicago and Seattle while loyally following college and pro football for the past 14 years.

Each week, Bill and Bailey will select their four best choices against the spread. We'll also keep a running score throughout the season.

Simmons will use his extensive football knowledge, the Internet and key newspapers to come up with his can't-miss picks. Bailey will choose between two dog treats representing teams in each matchup.

Of course, these are only predictions and not recommendations for wagering. Simmons and Bailey are just doing this for pride. OK, maybe a little kibble but that's all.

THE DRIVER'S SEAT
1. St. Louis, 5-0 (can Kurt Warner make it to November?)
2. Green Bay, 4-1 (the Brett Favre Factor)

THE CONTENDERS
3. Oakland, 4-1
4. NY Giants, 3-2
5. Baltimore, 3-2 (humbled in GB)

LURKING
6. New Orleans, 3-1

THE X-FACTOR
7. Philly, 2-2

THE SLEEPER
8. San Francisco, 4-1

REELING
9. Denver, 3-2
10. Indianapolis, 2-2 (Jim Mora's final week)
11. Miami, 3-2

THE ROBO-SLEEPER
12. Chicago, 3-1 (shhhhhhhhhhh...)

AMERICA'S TEAM
13. San Diego, 3-2 (brutal coaching staff)

BACK TO THE FUTURE
14. Tampa Bay, 2-2

OFFICIALLY FRISKY
15. Pittsburgh, 3-1
16. Cincinnati, 3-2
17. Cleveland, 3-2

THE GOOD "BAD TEAMS"
18. Seattle, 3-2
19. NY Jets, 3-2 (how are they 3-2?)

TAIL LIGHTS FADING
20. Minnesota, 2-3
21. Tennessee, 1-3

THE EWING THEORY
22. New England, 2-3

SEARCHING FOR FRISK
23. Carolina, 1-4
24. Arizona, 1-3

Bill Simmons
Bill Simmons scouts a Pats game.
THE VULTURES ARE CIRCLING
25. Atlanta, 2-3
26. Jacksonville, 2-3 (lost on Thursday)

CARCASSES
27. Buffalo, 1-4 (won on Thursday)
28. Kansas City, 1-4
29. Detroit, 0-4

THE BRUCE COSLET DIVISION
30. Dallas, 1-4
31. Washington, 0-5

One more note: This week's Patriots-Colts game should be fascinating. Either the Pats will win the game outright, solidify the power of the Ewing Theory for generations to come and trigger Jim Mora's firing on Tuesday ... or the Colts will win by 20. There's no in-between. Anybody who "knows" what will happen in that game is lying.

As for this contest, I finally caught the dog! There's a joke there somewhere. On to this week's picks:

Bill Simmons' Week 6 NFL predictions
Season record: 11-9; last week: 3-1
Carolina at Washington
Has an NFL team ever seemed more snakebitten than the 'Skins? You could see them tiptoeing along in the second half of the Dallas game last week, waiting for something terrible to happen to them... and it did. And 3½-point favorite Carolina really isn't that bad -- not only can can they throw the ball, they played Green Bay, San Fran and New Orleans very tough (last week's loss to the Saints was a true heartbreaker).

By the way, Washington's secondary includes Champ Bailey, Fred Smoot and Sam Shade ... doesn't that have the makings of a Skinemax movie cast or am I crazy?
-- The pick: Panthers 34, Redskins 20

Kansas City at Arizona
Strangest line of the year: Arizona getting 2 points at home. Vegas keeps treating the Chiefs with kid gloves for some reason -- are they afraid of Dick Vermeil or something? (It doesn't make any sense. You can't run the St. Louis offense with this motley crew of WR's -- it just doesn't work.) Plus, the Cards are due for one of those easy home games where they force a few turnovers, break off a special team TD and spend the fourth quarter hugging each other and passing water bottles around.

(PS: Roto Alert! Roto Alert! David Boston's breakout week! Roto Alert!)
-- The pick: Cardinals 26, Chiefs 14

Chicago at Cincinnati
Jon Kitna! Jim Miller! It's the NFL on CBS! The line seems fair (Cincy giving 1½ points), but it just seems like the Bengals are having one of those seasons where they'll go 7-1 at home and 1-7 on the road. The crowd was wayyyyy into that home win over the Browns last week -- you could see them carrying the Bengals to a higher place. Who woulda thunk?

Note: this game matches up two "Madden 2002" legends -- Brian Urlacher and Corey Dillon. Two of the greats.
-- The pick: Bengals 20, Bears 17

Philadelphia at New York Giants
The Giants own the Eagles in a "Johnnie Cochran-Chris Darden" kinda way. Now the G-Men are giving just 3 points at home, on a Monday night, with a raucous, drunken crowd of New Yorkers supporting them? Um .... yes, please.
-- The pick: Giants 23, Eagles 10

Bailey's Week 6 NFL predictions
Season record: 12-8; last week: 2-2
Bailey
Bailey
(As told to Jim Wilkie, editor for Page 2.)

Carolina at Washington
As sure as the nose on my face, the Redskins will cover again (minus 3½ points) and lose again.
-- The pick: Panthers 18, Redskins 15 (Washington covers)

Denver at San Diego
As a Colorado native, I have to go with the Broncos when they're underdogs -- 1½ in this one.
-- The pick: Broncos 29, Chargers 25

Chicago at Cincinnati
Ditto with the Bears as underdogs (minus 1½ points). Sure miss those nice Chicago winters.
-- The pick: Bengals 24, Bears 23 (Chicago covers)

Philadelphia at New York Giants
Kind of the opposite of last week's bizarro world NFC East matchup. Gotta go with New York at home minus 3 points.
-- Prediction: Giants 27, Eagles 23




ALSO SEE:
Bill Simmons and Bailey Archive

ESPN experts' picks for Week 6





 
    
 
 
 ESPN.com: HELP | ADVERTISER INFO | CONTACT US | TOOLS | SITE MAP
Copyright ©2001 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site. Employment opportunities at ESPN.com.